Turns out, Bryce Young’s best offensive lineman may be the big man upstairs.
When the rookie quarterback hit the lectern for questions on Wednesday, media members steered clear of The Athletic‘s explosive report about the Carolina Panthers’ dysfunctional culture from this morning. Instead, he fielded some more tame questions—with one regarding the amount of pressure he’s faced this season.
More specifically, David Newton of ESPN asked Young—given the pre-draft concerns about his smaller frame—how he’s been able to stay healthy throughout a rough campaign.
“That’s God,” he replied. “That’s God protecting me and, of course, people around me—that stuff, it’s outta my control. Definitely grateful to be here, to be healthy. To be able to play, it’s a blessing. I don’t lose sight of that.”
Unfortunately, quite a few of Young’s hog mollies haven’t been as blessed. The offense has already lost guards Brady Christensen, Austin Corbett and Chandler Zavala for the remainder of the season—leaving the Panthers with weekly patchwork on its interior line.
Young has been sacked 44 times this season, second only in the NFL to Washington’s Sam Howell. He’s also, per Pro Football Focus, been pressured on 41 percent of his dropbacks—the third-highest mark amongst quarterbacks with at least 10 starts.
So, yeah, there must be a little divine intervention going on here.